In Abu Rizal’s current role as managing director of property management and holdings company Cahaya Hartanah Ventures, he manages a growing property portfolio that covers office units, factories and hospitality ventures that began in 2005. Abu Rizal joined the company in 2011 and oversaw its growth, with the start of its foray into hospitality properties through two hotels in Langkawi and also adding on inventory in Malacca.

His father Dato’ Sulaiman Abu Bakar—who led a corporate life in Telekom Malaysia—has been a constant mentor, instilling the idea of business as a two-way street, dealing with tenants to ensure fair outcomes where both parties are on the winning side.

“We’ve always looked at our business in terms of building stable, long-term relationships. It’s so much better that tenants and landlords are able to operate in a win-win scenario. Covid was a hard one for all of us, and we did what we could to preserve relationships, offering rental relief and discounts.”

“Reflecting on that whole episode taught me an important lesson in business—ensuring that you are not over-leveraged. We were lucky to have been able to clear off loans at an earlier stage, so we could continue to meet our obligations despite having to absorb the necessary losses from diminished rental income.”

“Looking at our list of tenants, many of whom have been with us for more than 10 years, makes us happy. For us, it’s important that we learn about what they do, to understand what is important to them—the sort of infrastructure support required to optimise their output such as nearby storage or even ensure roads are in good condition for the daily volume of trucks accessing the factories. And in some cases, it so happens that we can patronise their business, like in the case of a clinic where we send our members of staff to.”

“It helps that the properties we offer on the market are attractive to big businesses, such as the corporations that require an office. So many smaller businesses out there now have started to downsize their office space and work remotely. However, the big corporations that rely on centralised working teams are still relying on office space to run their day-to-day.”

“Our future and motivation to excel now lies in sustaining our tenant relationships—ensuring that we can support their long-term outlook of their business. We are also of course looking to explore new projects, hospitality and office blocks.”

“From my father, his insistence on best corporate governance has helped us to shape the business. He’s a keen golfer, just like me, and we look at the game in the same way as we do business. We understand that, even if you’ve had a bad tee shot, we can still recover on the next stroke. So, it’s always about looking forward and not back. This is why we don’t dwell on mistakes—we learn from it and move on. I would say that the other big lesson I’ve learnt from him is on the importance of family first, and to be grateful for what we have.”

Illustrations by Dawum Jeong